Don Felder spent most of the past decade reflecting on his life following two tumultuous events: his divorce in 2000 from his wife of 29 years and his acrimonious 2001 departure from the Eagles after nearly three decades with the legendary band.

"I took a lot of time really looking in-depth at my life and my life's work," the singer and guitarist said by phone. "I did so in an effort to try to ground myself and move forward in life. You learn a great deal when you're put through a trial by fire. It was a very introspective and cathartic process."

Felder, who performs Friday in Morristown, recorded his journey on both paper and CD. In 2008, he published The New York Times bestseller "Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974–2001)."

Last October, the co-writer of the Eagles' iconic song "Hotel California" released his first solo album in 30 years, the deeply personal "Road to Forever." Felder said the album mostly took shape while he was writing his memoir.

"Trying to translate those handwritten recollections into an autobiography was very emotional, and often I would wind up in the studio," Felder said. "I express myself better in music than in text. The emotional release is in the songs."

"Road to Forever" touches on all aspects of Felder's life and career, from his signature country-rock and slide guitar on "Fall From Grace" and the story of his spiritual rebirth on "Wash Away" and "Heal Me" to the rocker "You Don't Have Me," which could be interpreted as a kiss-off to the Eagles.

There are also songs that touch upon his divorce ("Over You") and his relationship with his fiancée, real-estate broker Kathrin Nicholson ("Give My Life").

"There were a lot of people who supported me emotionally, my wife and personal friends," Felder said. Several of those colleagues appear on "Road to Forever," including Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw.

Felder said it was rejuvenating to record "Road to Forever." His previous recorded output, "Hell Freezes Over," was a 1994 Eagles live album that also included four new tracks. "The one thing I realized is that I missed playing music a lot," Felder said. "It's what started me on this journey of the last 40 years. I realized I needed to have that in my life."

Felder grew up in Gainesville, Fla., where he played in a high school band with Stephen Stills and taught guitar to Tom Petty. He pursued a music career, moving first to Boston and then to California, where he joined the Eagles in 1974. In addition to "Hotel California," Felder played on such Eagles hits as "Life in the Fast Lane," "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman" and "Desperado." He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Eagles in 1998.

Felder will be performing Eagles classics as well as his solo material in Morristown. He said he still enjoys playing Eagles songs despite his bitter separation from the band.

"What I've been able to do is really balance my life, musically and personally, between now and the early years," he said.